Tubular feed water heater



Feb; 16, 1932. L. 'scHl-:LLENS TUBULAR FEED` WATER HEATER Filed Feb.

l /f/z INVE TOR @Mariam ATTORNEYS Patented Feb. 16, 1332 UNETED STATESPATENT OFFICE EUGENE L. SCHELLENS, OF RIDGEWOOD, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TOC-S ENGINEERNG COMPANY, OF ENGLEWOOD, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OFDELAWARE `tLUBULAR FEED WATER HEATER A Application filed February 5,1930. Serial No. 425,944.

This invention relates to tubular feed water heaters and particularly toimprovements a co-pending application of E. L. and C. A.

Schellens, Serial No. 94,370, filed in the U. S.

J Patent Office on March 13, 1926, and in a co-pending application of J.S. Ceilin, J r., Serial No. 335,404 filed on yJanuary 28, 1929, and bothassigned to the assignee of this application.

In such heaters tube spacers are employed at points intermediate of theends of the tubes for the purpose of supporting and properly spacing thetubes. It has been found that in service the tubes, due to vibration,wear where n QU they pass through the tube holes in the spacers thuscausing clearance to develop between the tubes and spacer holes. Undersuch conditions the tubes begin to vibrate or rattle with the resultthat heavy wear occurs in both the tubes and the spacers. The vibrationreferred to may resultl from various causes incident to operationincluding, for example, locomotive vibration and the action of steamjets blowing against and across the'tubes.

One of the primary objects ofmy invention is to obvia-te the liabilityof such wear.

Another object of my invention is the provision of means associated withthe tube spacers of tubular feed water heaters for preventing vibrationof the tubes.

A further obj ect of my invention is the provision of a combined tubespacer and tube clamp for tubular feed water heaters.

Stated more specifically, it is an object of my invention to providemeans cooperating with tube spacers of feed water heaters, to clamp thetubes against vibration whereby looseness of the tubes in the spacersmay be taken up and wear of the tubes and spacers prevented.

Still another object of my invention is to provide simple andinexpensive means for preventing vibration in the tubes, which means isconstructed and arranged to pro- Q vide easily accessible adjustment.

How the foregoing, together with such other objects and advantages asmay hereinafter appear, or are incident to my invention, are realized,is illustrated in preferred form in the accompanying drawings wherein-Figure 1 is a front elevation of a tubular locomotive feed water heaterof the curved type with portions of the casing broken away to clearlyillustrate the tube arrangement and showing important parts of myinvention in section. f

Figure 2 is an enlarged cross section thru the heater takensubstantially on the line 2 2 of Figure 1, with the closure for theopening in the casing removed; and

Figure 3 is a fragmentary section taken on the line 3 3 of Figure 2. f

'The heater illustrated is of semi-circular form and is adapted to bemounted at the front of the smoke box of a locomotive in any suitablemanner and comprises in general a casing A, a'nest of curved or arcuatewater tubes B, steam headers C and D, and water headers E and F.

Tater is fed to the water tubes thru the inf let header E, and passesthru the tubes to the outlet header F.

Steam, preferably exhaust steam from the locomotive, is led to the steamheadersv C and D, which communicate with the interior of the heatercasing and the steam passes from Vthe headers C and D into a passage orchamber 4, and then passes up to the center or top of the heater, whereit passes thru apertures 5 in a partition 6 and into a chamber 'l'. Thesteam flows downwardly in the two legs of the chamber, 7, thus fillingthe whole chambei' with steam. From this chamber the steam is directedinto the main tube chamber, 8, of the casing inv a plurality ofjetsprovided by means of holes, 9, in a plate, 10.

The heaterl is provided with tube positioning plates or tube spacers,ll, which extend from side to side ofthe main tube chamber, 8, and whichare secured to the heater casing by means of bolts, 12, kpassing thrubottom flanges, 13, of the spacers. The Vspacers are provided withapertures thru which the tubes are passed, the apertures being spacedand arranged to position the tubes in desired spacing.

The construction of the heater as thus far described is very similar tothe construction of the heater disclosed in the above mentionedco-pending application of J. S. Collin, Jr., Serial No. 335,404.

In order to prevent vibration of the tubes of the heater and toeliminate wear of the tubes and spacers due to vibration I associatemeans with the spacers, 11, adapted to clamp or hold the tubes againstvibration. In preferred form this means comprises a` plate-like member,14, having a hooked or channeled portion, 15, at its upper edge which isadapted to hook over the top edge 1G, of the tube spacer, 11, so thatthe member is supported from the spacer'. The member 14, is providedwith a plurality of holes thru which the tubes pass, the number andspacing of the holes corresponding to the number and spacing of theholes in the spacer. 11. It is to be noted that the member, 14, isapplied to the radially or angularly disposed spacer, 11, so that itwill tend to lie against the spacer due to gravity and thereby preventpossibility of its tipping away from the spacer.

Furthermore, they are interloclted by the hooklile portion, 1a, when thetubes are iu place.

The member 14 is provided with means, preferably in the form of a.plurality of screws, 17, for moving it relative to the spacer, 11, in a.direction to grip and clamp the tubes rmly against vibration. Morespecifically stated, it will be seen that when the screws, 17, areturned downwardly they push down on the top edge, 16, of the spacer andcause a. lifting action on the plate-like member, 14, with the elllectthat the tubes are clamped firmly to the spacer. Thus any looseness ofthe tubes in the tube holes is taken up and the tubes are lirnily heldagainst vibration. The tubes therefore, cannot rattle and rub in thetube holes to cause wear which is very objectionable in tubular heaters.After the member 14 has been adjusted to its clamping position the screw17 may be locked in place as by means of nuts, 18. Should any futureadjustments be needed it is only necessary to loosen the lock nuts,tighten up on the set screws, and relock them.

The heater casing A, is provided with openings, 19, in its top wall andabove the spacer and clamping members thru which the adjusting andlocking devices are readily accessible. Handhole frames, 20, may beprovided for the openings, 19, and combined handhole covers andheater-lifting devices, 21, may be detachably secured to the handholeframes. Positioning lugs, 22, for the spacers, 11, may be provided onthe hand-hole frames, 20.

Although I have shown and described my invention as applied to a curvedtubular locomotive feed water heater it is to be under-- stood that itis equally applicable to other types of tubular heaters.

It will be seen from the foregoing that I have provided very simple andelfeetive antin vibration means for the tubes of tubular heaters whichmay be termed a combined tube spacer and clamp.

I claim 1. In a locomotive feed water heater, a substantially arcuatecasing having its ends extended downwardly and having a handhole spacedtoward one leg from the top of' the heater, a set of substantiallyarcuate tubes in the casing, jet means adjacent the top for projectingsteam against the tubes transversely thereof, and adjustable tubeclamping and positioning means disposed cross-sectionally of the casingadjacent said hand-hole, the adjustable means being disposed for accessthrough said hand-hole and being cut away in a portion adjacent thebottoni casing wall to provide for passage of condensate thcrealong to acondensate drain.

2. In a locomotive feed water heater, a substantially arcuate casinghaving its ends extended downwardly and having a handhole spaced towardone leg from the top of the heater, a set of substantially arcuat(`tubes in the casing, jet means adjacent the top for projecting steamagainst the tubes transversely thereof, and adjustable tube clamping andpositioning means disposed cross-sectionally of the casing adjacent saidhand-hole, the adjustable means including fixed and movable plateshaving apertures engaging the tubes and adjustable nie-ans ar ranged foraccess through the hand-hole and for reaction between the plates, bothof said plates being cut away in portions adjacent the bottom casingwall to provide for passage of condensate therealong to a condensatedrain.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name.

EUGENE L. SCHELLENS.

